Pretty much any average mom is looking for ways to save money on, well, nearly anything. In the next few posts, I’m going to share a few apps I use to do just that.
Please understand I’m not getting rich off of any of these apps, and unless you are some kind of wizard, you won’t either. I’ve seen posts boasting that you can save outrageous amounts of money, just by using these apps. To be clear, this series is not those type of posts. This is more of an “every little bit helps” situation.
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is probably the simplest app to use of the few I am going to mention. All you need to do is scan a receipt and you accumulate points that can be redeemed for gift cards. And I do mean any receipt. That includes our local bulk foods store owned by an Amish family.
Receipts usually collect either 5 or 25 points, which is a drop in the bucket when it comes down to it. 1000 points is equal to $1 in gift cards.
To scan a receipt, there is a yellow camera button in the lower right corner of the home screen. All you do is tap that button and it brings you to a screen to take a picture of your receipt. Simple!
Affiliated Brands
To get points more quickly, there are a number of brands affiliated with Fetch that the app automatically recognizes on receipts and awards extra points for purchasing. For instance, Dove and Axe products are included and when I buy body wash or deodorant for my husband, I gain extra points.
There are also pop-up brands that are available on occasion. If you purchase a specific brand, Fetch awards a set amount of points. It’s nice to scroll through the welcome screen to see if there is anything worthwhile purchasing.
Sometimes Fetch runs special offers, like 5000 extra points when you buy $15 in Unilever products. (That offer is good at participating grocery stores until 2/21/21, by the way.) That’s like spending $15 and getting $5 back! They list the Unilever products that count, thank goodness!
The nice thing about Fetch is that you don’t have to go through and choose the deals that you’d like cash back on. It automatically picks up the brands you purchase and awards extra points, usually based on the amount you spent on the item.
The downside of this app for me is that I generally don’t buy name brand stuff, unless I have a coupon or there is cash back on Ibotta. There are some things that I will purchase (Pepsi, Schmidt’s, and others of the sort) but usually I buy generic or Aldi brand. So collecting points takes a lot longer for me than it might for others.
Rewards Programs in the App
Huggies is also included in the affiliated brands. Their rewards program is part of the Fetch app. When receipts containing Huggies purchases are scanned, the amount of money is tallied and moves you closer to various milestones. I was blessed with very many diapers from my baby shower, so I haven’t had to buy many diapers yet. I am still waiting to reach a Huggies milestone and see what I get!
Link Email and Amazon
Another feature that I find handy (but may make some leery) is the ability to link your email and Amazon accounts to the app. This way you get points for Amazon purchases and online/pick up orders when there is no physical receipt to scan. Some may be concerned about privacy issues. Rightfully so, but it’s an individual choice.
To gather points from online retailers, there is a blue “e” button beside the yellow camera receipt scan button. When you tap the blue icon, Fetch scans your Amazon and email accounts (if they are linked) to find recent orders.
Rewards
The variety of gift cards to choose from when you’ve finally earned a reward is pretty impressive!
You could choose to cash out with as little as 3000 points for some gift cards ($3 gift card). Some gift cards are only available in larger amounts, like 25,000 or 50,000.
Sign Up Bonus
When you sign up for Fetch, use code “8E9HE” to get 2000 bonus points when you scan your first receipt! (You will get a code of your own when you sign up that your family and friends can use when they sign up as well.)
This is the first in a series of posts about cash back apps. I have some tried and true favorites, but I’ve recently come across a few new ones that I am testing out to see if they are worth the time and effort. Next time, I’ll share about the first cash back app I used: Ibotta!
